Nudniks

S. Hadley Board of Selectmen Order Junior Cujo Euthanized For Several Bite Incidents, Including Attack On Elderly Man, Owner Goes Freemuhboi

S. Hadley Board of Selectmen Order Junior Cujo Euthanized For Several Bite Incidents, Owner Goes Freemuhboi, He Dindunuffin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I want to preface this by saying I am a HUGE animal lover, with a soft spot for doggos. What I don’t have patience for is irresponsible pet owners who allow their animals to get into dangerous situations.

 

This morning, our inbox lit up with this story out of South Hadley:

“The town of South Hadley just voted that my 2 year old St Bernard Ziggy be euthanized!! I am in shock!! He never ever bit anyone!! He has never been aggressive!! Everyone comes to visit!!! He loves everyone!!!! This is just crazy!! I could never kill our sweet boy!!! Their reasoning is due to my negligence as an owner, because he escaped his kennel…Since when do we kill dogs for this??? And how am I negligent …I didnt even put the dogs outside that day they escaped, Frank did!!! I went to work and dogs were in the house!! Sorry my big dogs scared the old man and his wife!!! But anyone who knows Ziggy knows he is NOT dangerous…unless you are allergic to dog hair, drool, or wet kisses!!! We WILL fight this ridiculous decision to the bitter end!!! The support of other dog owners and anyone who knows Ziggy is greatly appreciated!!! Thank you for your support !!!!”

 

Ziggy, a 2-year-old Saint Bernard, was ordered to be euthanized by the Board of Selectmen after, contrary to what his owner says, he was involved in a string of escape/chase/bite incidents spanning more than half his life.

Here you can read the the minutes from the first dangerousness hearing in 2016. It’s item #7 and begins on page 6. Some highlights:

  1. Two Saint Bernards are housed at the property on 11 Silver Street, Mr. O’Brien related.  He has had multiple issues with the dogs as they at one point bit a jogger and at multiple other points got loose and chased the mail handler down the
    street.  He and police officers have talked to the owners multiple times and asked them to address the issue and advised them that if incidents continued there would be a dangerous dog hearing.

Mr. O’Brien is the town Animal Control Officer. As of 2016, when Ziggy would have only been 1, Mr. O’Brien had already had several incidents and encounters with Ziggy, and another St. Bernard, Ziggy’s mother, who has since been euthanized by her owner. The owner had been warned multiple times.

 

2. When they were smaller she used to walk them together.  In one incident, the jogger ran really close to her.  Her dogs were startled and the female “kind of gave him a little warning.”  She thought she was more scared than anything… Chair Hine asked if Mrs. Marion disputed that her dog bit the individual several times, and Mrs. Marion said she did not see her dog bite the person.  She had control of her dog the entire time and he was on a short leash, so if the dog bit the jogger he was really, really close to her.  When asked if she disputed the incident with the postal worker, she said she did not see her dog attack her or bite her.  She did see the dog bark at the mail carrier. 

Yeah, because when I’m out for a jog, I definitely try to get as close to the biggest dogs I encounter on the trails for a good ol’ fly-by pet-and-run. Always goes well. And I’m sure this woman

had exactly zero trouble controlling 400lbs of dog on leash. Right.

3. Mr. Brezinsky referred to a report from South Hadley Adult Medicine in connection with the biting incident.  Mr. O’Brien explained that state law requires that animal bites resulting in a visit to a doctor be reported to the Board of Health and that the animal be quarantined.  In response to a question from Mr. Brezinsky, Mrs. Marion repeated that she did not see her dog bite the person.  The animal control officer came to her house and the dog was quarantined, she acknowledged.

Mr. Brezinsky is a Selectman. He had in his possession a statement from a doctor that the jogger had been bitten multiple times. But since April didn’t see it, it couldn’t have *possibly* happened. Even though her dog was quarantined for it. Right.

 

4. Chair Hine asked how the incidents where the dog chased the postal carrier happened if the dogs are walked on a leash to the kennel. When Ziggy was younger she used to keep him with her outside of the fenced enclosure, but now, since April 4th, she no
longer does this, Mrs. Marion assured. The existing fence is a solid fence, Mr. O’Brien confirmed.  He said he would love to see the fencing extend to the back door.  He responded to an incident where the dog chased the postal carrier and the dog had broken down the backdoor.  He would like to see the fencing extend to the house so if something does break the dogs can’t get out.

Here, the owner admits to being negligent by not securing Ziggy properly. And not for nothing… the dog BROKE DOWN THE BACK DOOR to get out and chase the mailman.

If you saw this guy popping through the door like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, I bet you’d be shitting your pants.

This is not normal behavior for a puppy, but the fault ultimately lies with the owner here. If you have a pet, much like when you have a child, you’re responsible for taking care of not only their basic needs, but ensuring they behave and aren’t assholes. If your dog is a dick, roll up a newspaper and whack yourself on the dome with it; the problem is you, not them.

As a result of this dangerousness hearing, Ziggy and the other dog were ordered to be muzzled in public and on a leash no longer than 3′ in length, contained in an adequate, secure enclosure in the yard that extended to the back door as a fail-safe, and April was ordered to obtain a $100k liability insurance policy to cover any potential future incidents. Basic stuff. That should have been the end of it, until…

“Fast-forward to 2017.

After two incidents earlier this year, Marion was called in for a second dangerous dog hearing Tuesday, where the Board of Health recommended that Ziggy be put down.

On Feb. 19, a woman was walking her older Akita down Silver Street. One of the two Saint Bernards ran across the street and started to fight the dog. The dog ended up with a puncture wound, the woman’s sister told police.

In May, a 74-year-old man was walking down Silver Street with his wife when one of the dogs bit him, he said. The police responded. Paramedics treated him at the scene. He got rabies shots as a precaution.

Marion said Tiara did have an aggressive history, especially after she gave birth to puppies. Marion and her family decided to put Tiara down after the May incident.

“It was very hard for us to put her down,” Marion said, “but we thought it was necessary considering she busted out of the kennel.”

But Ziggy has never been a problem, she said, despite the mail carrier incident.

After Tuesday’s hearing, Marion said, the town animal control officer visited Marion’s new house and said he would recommend that the Select Board vote not to kill Ziggy on the condition Marion install electric fencing.

The town Board of Health could not confirm this on Thursday. Etelman did say there was some “softening” in the Board of Health’s position that the dog be euthanized as Tuesday night’s hearing stretched on.

In a May 24 letter to Marion’s family, Sharon Hart, the town public health director, wrote the dogs were not licensed with the town and that Marion could not show proof of rabies vaccination.

In a violation of the 2016 town order, the kennel on the property was not connected to the back door and the dogs were not leashed or muzzled.

“Had she followed the protocol that was given to her,” Etelman said, “we wouldn’t be in the situation that we’re in. And, unfortunately, it’s the dog that could potentially suffer because of her actions.””

After the dogs were already deemed dangerous in May 2016, by February 2017, they were up to their old antics again. This time, they busted through the “secure” kennel and attacked a dog across the street. The town effectively looked the other way and let it slide. 3 months later, in May, the dogs escaped AGAIN and chased/bit an elderly man walking down the street with his wife.

 

This dumpsterfire of a pet owner

not only shirked her responsibility to uphold the town’s orders to keep both her dogs and the community safe, but also didn’t even bother to have them licensed or vaccinated. Vaccinating your pets is BASIC care. A rabies shot is like $15-$20 at Petco for crying out loud, and you can even get one that is effective for THREE YEARS. This is clear cut negligence. This lady doesn’t give a fuck that her dogs are/were a menace and is expecting everyone around her to deal with her dog-handling ineptitude.

While Ziggy is a beautiful animal

and I don’t think he deserves to die because his owner is a boogerbrain, I do think he should be removed and placed into the care of qualified individuals. Someone who is certified and can train him properly, set him up for success, and give him a quality life. Also, someone who realizes the potential shitshow this could be should Ziggy not be handled properly. He is not going to get that with his current owner, nor will he get that in the Town of South Hadley.

If Ziggy were to remain in this fuckstick’s care, he would be continuously set up to fail up to and until he either maims or kills someone. Let’s be real, this is 200ish lbs of dog and shit can go south QUICK. I mean, we’ve all seen Cujo.

April is currently appealing the Board’s decision in court and of course, has started a #FreeMuhBoi GoFundMe to spring for a lawyer well-versed in Pooch-olitics.

“Sorry my big dogs scared the old man and his wife!!!” Not sorry for the series of excruciatingly painful rabies shots he had to undergo, though cuz yo dogs don’t need no vackzinashuns! #FACKS

This lady just wants to point her finger at everyone but herself. Your dogs, your responsibility, period.

It’s my hope that the judge hearing the appeal will realize that this dog isn’t so far gone (yet,) but it is the owner who is fuckin’ cooked and order him sent somewhere where they’ll handle him properly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24 Comment(s)
  • September 4, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    An intriguing discussion is worth comment. I think
    that you should write more about this topic, it might not be a taboo matter but generally people don’t discuss these topics.
    To the next! Cheers!!

  • September 2, 2017 at 9:54 pm

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  • Claudia
    August 22, 2017 at 4:37 pm

    Yikes, the man shouldn’t have gotten a post exposure rabies vaccination since the animal was available for quarantine.

    And double yikes for the ACO recommending an electric fence because not only doesn’t it prevent anybody from coming into the yard, a dog who is very driven to get at something past the perimeter will do so. You also have the possibility of a dead battery, or a malfunction. Anyway, who would feel comfortable walking by as a huge dog seemed easily capable of coming off the property to get you? Given the claims of Ziggy’s bast behavior, his charging seems a valid concern.

  • August 10, 2017 at 3:48 pm

    For the person that wrote this article you should get your facts correct and use proper terms that are meant for reading and save the name calling for people who comment you dumb stupid bitch! April is a great dog owner and great parent and does more in one 24 hr day then you probably do in a month! And for all the others just harping on this, get a fucking life you bunch a fucking scumbags!
    Feel free to comment back with your stupidity please, I love telling fucking idiots where to go and how to do it!

    • Seriously?
      August 11, 2017 at 8:22 am

      Save the name calling, then stoop to name calling? Stephen, you just nullified your argument, strong work! The owner was irresponsible, multiple incidents, end of story. Feel bad for the dog, but St. B’s are known to be difficult sometimes and their sheer size makes them all the more dangerous.

    • Know the truth
      August 11, 2017 at 6:03 pm

      Thats funny, she lost custody of her kids before and now her dogs….but im sure you’re right, she is great.

  • Diane Woods emerson
    Wtf
    August 10, 2017 at 11:59 am

    I am going to make bumper stickers – if you can’t afford the vet , you can’t afford the pet. It’s a fairly simple concept. And I think the bigger the pet the more responsibly for training you have. Or breed specific requirements should be followed. Adequate fencing, adequate excersise, and insurance. I have a pack of 5 dogs and since I consider myself responsible , I have vetted them, I have 2 acres of hidden fence and I train them. My French mastiff plays with babies. And although I would never ever completely trust any animal, I trust my dogs to do their job and protect me but other than that they are happy full filled family pets. It’s not that difficult.

    • August 12, 2017 at 9:01 pm

      EXACTLY, and this happened AFTER the other dog had to be killed?????? ugh, people suck… natural selection would be if they ate the owners….

  • William Munny
    August 10, 2017 at 11:21 am

    I’ll do it. I’ve killed everything that walks or crawls at one time or another.

  • Familiar with the situation
    August 10, 2017 at 1:02 am

    I commented this on the Facebook post referenced in this article (and was almost immediately blocked from the page). Might be relevant here, especially for part 2. Any claim that there is no proof that the dogs have bitten someone is willfully false.

    “I was bitten by these dogs (I am the jogger referred to in the town reminder). While running one night I came upon a woman walking with two St. Bernards-in front of me and about 20 feet to my left. As I approached they literally dragged her across the grass to jump at me. They didn’t seem to mean me any serious harm, but I did receive scratches on my leg and bite marks on my forearm. The police have photographs of these marks. I stopped and said “your dogs just bit me” and in response was told “Go Away!”. Later that night I called the animal safety officer to determine if the dogs were up to date on their rabies vaccines, and as soon as I said “two St. Bernards” the officer knew which dogs I had encountered. The officer then attempted to contact the owner to verify the vaccine status, but around two weeks passed before he finally managed to corral her; I believe that he had to go through her landlord to get to her.
    I certainly didn’t think that they needed to be euthanized after this one incident, but it was apparent that they could not really be controlled, and it became apparent later that this was one of many such incidents. I also didn’t appreciate being left in the dark on whether or not I needed to receive a series of painful shots to potentially ward off a fatal infection.”

  • Publius
    August 9, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    To bad the owner can’t be put down. And why is the owner not buried in legal actions. This is eady money. Anyway Ziggy must go. Bye.

  • Straight Squattin
    August 9, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    People who give strangers money through gofundme are fucking lunatics.

  • April Marion
    August 9, 2017 at 2:40 pm

    I am not the only dog owner! Both times dogs got loose they were let out by my boyfriend the other dog owner! But your story is great fun! The fuckstix comment is a little much ! Truth is this town is messed up! Ziggy and Tiara had insurance, rabies and licensed !

    • HOPS
      August 9, 2017 at 3:35 pm

      “…my boyfriend the OTHER dog owner” so you ARE one of the owners of the dog!!!! Clearly, you and the other dog owner did not follow directives that were given to you by the city. Just grow up and take responsibility for once!!

    • KimberlyS
      KJDS
      August 9, 2017 at 4:50 pm

      If you had insurance, vaccinations, and licenses, you should have been able to produce the paperwork. That’s what responsible people do. I have a big dog (coincidentally named Ziggy). I keep him leashed and secure, and I keep all of his paperwork. I also train him to not misbehave.

    • August 12, 2017 at 8:57 pm

      Regardless, YOU put the dogs health at risk when after being warned TIME and AGAIN to keep the dogs contained.. YOU did NOTHING… what about breaking down the door to get the mailman?? That is a GIANT breed dog! YOUR fault, and sadly the dog has to pay just like the female did… great your bred a dog with “aggression issues” unreal!! Your irresponsible and should never own another dog. Put up a REAL fence, extending it to the door BEFORE you have to put the female TO SLEEP would have been the responsible thing to do!!!!!! Shame on you, back yard breeder, now there is a go fund me? wth!!!??

  • Sonny's Mom
    August 9, 2017 at 1:13 pm

    “Marion said Tiara did have an aggressive history, especially after she gave birth to puppies.”

    TRANSLATION: this woman is the lowest of the low… an irresponsible backyard breeder. No shots means she may have sold diseased puppies. No behavior training just goes with the territory.

    This woman should be barred by order of the Town from ever owning dogs again.

  • Cujo
    August 9, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    My owner loves it doggie style.

  • Woof
    August 9, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    Kujo? Past few blogs you can tell your definitely not animal lover.

  • Stunt Penis
    August 9, 2017 at 11:46 am

    Likely the reason the dog is not vaccinated for rabies is the vet can’t get close enough to the dog to administer the vaccine without being attacked.

    The proper solution to this issue would be for a good, law-abiding citizen with a LTC permit to routinely take walks up and down the street until attacked, where he (or she) would be forced to pull his (or her) firearm in self-defense and put Cujo down.

    Unfortunately, at his age, he’s likely not retrainable without substantial investment of time and money (such as at Jeff Gellman’s place in Providence or Bruce Billing’s place in Holbrook, where they have experience dealing with highly aggressive dogs.

    • Red washington
      August 9, 2017 at 1:07 pm

      Dude, why are you fantacizing about animals getting shot? Fucking sociopath.

    • Sonny's Mom
      August 9, 2017 at 1:16 pm

      In that case, you muzzle the dog. Most vets can handle that.

    • Kaleesi
      August 11, 2017 at 10:20 am

      If you look at the minutes of the July town council meeting re: the dangerous dog issue, it has notes from the Mill Valley Vet where both dogs went for care. On one of the pages it clearly states how “uncooperative” the dogs were during vaccinations, etc.

  • ChuckWoolery
    Goose Nipples
    August 9, 2017 at 11:39 am

    She is now marking any comments on Facebook as spam that question her.

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